Anger and Regret
by Riniel Haerion
Summary: Zeb was the constant positive in Axl's life. The only person who didn't seem to have any of the complicated issues that his family always had. But knowing Gods always hurt a mortal in the end, but Axl didn't think it'd be like this.


If there was one constant in Axl's life that he knew he would always be able to rely on, it was Zeb. Ever since they were little kids, Zeb was the little ball of sunshine that always managed to get Axl smiling, and that was something that his brothers never seemed to be able to do as well as short friend. So as they grew older Axl grew accustomed to Zeb always being there always knowing what to do to make Axl happy (even if they weren't always the best ideas, he tried better than Axl's own family.) But then the God thing happened. With Axl being Odin, his family suddenly surged back to him, constantly taking up his time that he was never really hanging out with Zeb anymore. They lived together, but it didn't even feel like it, the way he was constantly out with his family looking for Frigg.

But Zeb still grinned at him, like nothing changed. Like everything was still as it was before Axl became a God. But they both knew it wasn't true. It was worse now that Zeb knew about the Gods. As much as he was always helping out whenever he could it didn't stop the fact that he was always in danger by simply knowing of their existence. Even though at first Axl wanted his best friend with him whenever he had to any type of Godly business, now he wasn't sure. He half wanted to lock up the guy and never letting him out for fear that he would end up being killed by a God, or the God Hunters.

But without that happy ray of sunshine that was his best friend, he had been getting worse and worse. There was a single positive thought running through his head after Gaia became Idunn instead of his Frigg. All this searching ended up being for nothing, and they had to start from the beginning again. But Axl could just leave it there, he had to pin the blame on someone. And that someone ended up being Anders. Because Anders was Bragi, and Idunn is Bragi's beloved. So it was his fault. That's what his mind was telling him at least. But he was so blinded by anger directed at himself, his brothers, Gaia, and Gods in general that he didn't care if it was right or wrong about being so angry towards Anders. Anders had to have been going through so much shit himself. He watched his own girlfriend die and had gotten so close to death, and suddenly there was a new woman who he was apparently destined to be with despite not wanting to.

They all had problems, but Axl ended up acting upon his. Everything was a horrible blur, and he just remembered picking up his sword and stalking out of the flat without even telling Zeb where he was going. He didn't care about Gaia. She would just ask about Anders because that was the only thing she did these days. He found his brothers all at Mike's bar, and as soon as they realized Axl had his sword with him, they immediately tried to reason with him. Asking him what was wrong as if they cared about his well-being. But his mind was telling him that they only cared because they didn't want Odin to die. They didn't want to die themselves. They just wanted their own goddamn powers so they could leave Axl all alone with some unknown chick who should have been Gaia. He easily shoved his brothers aside and started towards Anders whose eyes immediately filled with fear.

His short older brother started backing up from him, holding his hands up, telling Axl not to hurt him. But Axl could barely hear his voice over the pounding of his own heart in his ears. He didn't even hear the shocked voice of someone who had been following him ever since he left the flat. All Axl was focused on was trying to get at the brother who supposedly ruined everything merely by existing and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He slashed wildly with his sword, but he missed nearly every single time. Anders only ended up being nicked a few times on his arms and on his cheek. Axl was steadying himself as he approached Anders who was now cowering on the ground with his arms protecting himself.

"Axl, please just STOP-" Without warning, and without thinking, Axl whipped around quickly without even thinking about the sword in his hand.

He felt metal connect with flesh, and time seemed to stop.

Zeb's face seemed so small, so pale, as he stared wide-eyed at the sword impaled in between his ribs. His Freki t-shirt was slowly being stained with red as he just continued to stand there, doing absolutely nothing besides staring at sword embedded in his flesh. He slowly looked up at Axl with fearful eyes, and let out a small 'oh' before collapsing on the ground.

The sword slipped out of Axl's grip as his best friend fell to the ground, and Axl collapsed with him, suddenly screaming, and sobbing. His brothers were surrounding him, even Anders who was bleeding quite a bit himself from the small injuries that he sustained from Axl. But Axl was completely focused on his best friend, still just barely alive as he looked at the sword and back up at Axl.

"I...Didn't think that would happen..."

"Zeb, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I wasn't thinking at all I-"

"Yeah...You weren't thinking. Were you Axl." Zeb smiled a bit up at him. He was quiet for a moment. "You'll find your Frigg, Axl. I know you will...And..." He coughed up blood. "...And if you find the real Freki...Tell him I say hello..."

Zeb went limp, and the last of his seemingly permanent sunshine left his eyes. And all Axl could do was cry. Because it was all his fault, and he knew it. His best friend was dead, and his brother injured, all because of him. Because he was Odin. But at this moment he was Axl. Scared, helpless, naive, Axl. Axl who barely even knew how to deal with his own life, and now holding the lifeless body of the only person who had known how to make Axl smile since the beginning.

Axl's life was falling apart.

And his sunshine was gone.


End file.
